Container handling apparatus



F. KRUEGER CONTAINER HANDLING APPARATUS May 26,'"1942,

Filed Aug. 8, 1939 2 Sheets-Sheet l m s s W K W m F May v26, 1942. I "F, KRUEGER v 252844286A CONTAINER HANDLING, APPARATUS i Filed Aug.: 8,- 1939 2 sheets-sheet' 2 ATTORNEY.

Patented May 26, 1942 Frank Krueger, Brooklyn, N. Y., assignor to E. W. Bliss Company, Brooklyn, N. Y., a corporation of Delaware Application August 8, 1938, Serial No. 288,977

(Cl. IBS-22) 9 Claims.

This invention relates to apparatus for feeding containers, as tin cans and the like, from one fabricating operation to another. It is particularly directed to the feeding of filled cans into the can head seaming mechanism by which the top is affixed to the can.

Feeding equipment as outlined above has generally consisted of a rotating sleeve on which was formed a spiral and which was mounted so that the spiral portion engaged a part of the container bodies and fed them along a track as the spiral and its supporting cylinder were rotated. l

This construction isopen to several disadvantages, the first of which is that the can was not engaged by an appreciable part of the spiral and was liable to be overturned.Y Similarly, the can was not engaged over a sufcient distance to reduce to a satisfactory minimum the tendency of the spiral to push the can out of the line of feed. Such units were expensive to construct and were open to other objections in addition to those set out.

My invention employs the principle of a feeding table which may partially or entirely support the container, together with a spiral .feeding screw rotatably mounted about said table. Additional support for the containers is obtained by a feed belt lying parallel with the table and adapted to cooperate therewith in supporting the :I

bottom of the cans. 'Ihe spiral rotates through the spaced opening between the tableand the belt.

I have found that by employing a belt of considerable length and mounting the seam head or e other fabricating mechanism adjacent its midsection I can not only use the belt to feed containers to the station, but can also use the belt to transfer containers from the station to some other part of the can line. Y y

The general object of my invention has been to provide a simplified construction which, in addition to the features outlined above, provides for easy and rapid handling of container bodies. Still another object has beento provide a spiralv feed screw in which the convolutions are spaced from each other an increasing distance in order that the travel of the containers therealong may be accelerated and in order that different sizes of containers may be easily accommodated. Y

To the accomplishment of the foregoing and related ends, said invention, then, consists of the means hereinafter fully described and particularly pointed out in the claims; the annexed drawings and the following description setting forth in detail certain mechanism embodying the invention, such disclosed means constituting however, but one of various mechanical means in which the principle of the invention may be used.

In said annexed drawings: Y

Fig. 1 is a plan View of my complete can handling assembly;

Fig. 2 is a vertical section therethrough as indicated by the line 2 2 of Fig. l;

Figs. 3 and 4 are sections through Fig. 2, as indicated by the lines 3-3 and 4-4 thereon;

Fig. 5 is a section through Fig. 1 as indicated by the line 5 5 thereon; and

Fig. 6 is a schematic view of the table and screw assembly.

Referring now to Figs. l and 2, I provide a generallycylindrical element I0 which is flattened on its Vtop and carries a Wear-receiving plate II to form the container table aforementioned. The element I 0 is provided with ribs I2, which in turn receives a supporting bar I5 carried at the left-hand end (Fig. 2) in the main frame 20. An auxiliary table 2| is carried by the frame 2i) and cooperates with the table II in handling containers. p

The right-hand end (Fig. 2)-0f the'table bar I5 is received at 23 in a rotating bearing 24, which rotating unit acts 4as hereafter described to drive the spiral member.

The spiral itself, indicated at 25, consists of a long rod of square cross-sectionformed into the helix shown in Fig. 6. It Will be' noticed that the oonvolutions adjacent the left-hand end of that figure are spaced closer to each other than adjacent the right-hand end. This is to provide an accelerating rate of speedV for containers therealong and Valso acts vto accommodate different si'Zes of containers, as hereafter described.

The spiral is supported at each end by hubs 21 and 28 to which it is rigidly bolted and which are rotatably mounted on bearings 29 and 24 respectively. 'Ille hub 28 is keyed to a sleeve 33 which receives the portion 23 of the bar I5 and is separated therefrom by the bearing 2li. The sleeve 3B is in turn rotatably carried in the frame in suitable bearings.

To permit easy disassembly of the parts, the hub 28 is slid over sleeve 3@ and keyed thereto. It is then locked against a shoulder of the Vsleeve by a lock nut 32 threadingly carried byV said sleeve.

The spiral is driven from a Worm gearV 35 and pinion 36 which latter is carried by a stub shaft 31. The shaft carries a bevel gear 38 meshing formed as at 58 and 59.

-of pass between the rails.

55 out of the influence of the spiral 25.V

' fect alignment is thus maintained between both ends of the spiral member as it rotates about the table Il.

Acontinuous belt 45, preferably of steel, ex?V are driven. The leftiY tends from one end of the equipment to the other and is received over a pair of pulleys 41 and 48. The belt is driven fromla sprocket wheel 50 mounted for rotation in synchronism with the spiral driving mechanism.

pulley 4B through a chain 53.

Containers yare' fed onto. the lefthandend of the conveyor 45, asviewed in Fig; 1, and by `it are carried into a path defined bygguide rails5'5 and 56,- mounted at aslightl angle tothe axis of the spiral member, as shown in Fig. 1. These rails act to lguide containers oif of thebel't- 45 y onto the table vH from which they are removed by a dial, hereafterdescribed.

To allow for complete registra-tionvof the succeeding containers with the convolutions of the spiral, two sections of the rails 55 `and 56 are These short `sections are pivoted at 60 and 6| tothe machine frame and areY movableeat all times in parallel relationship.

If cans enter between the rails 5 8 and 59 and f do not immediately register between the convolutions of the spiral, these sections of the rails may pivot outwardly away from the spiral about their pivots until such time as the rotating spiral properly engages the container.

A spring 62 re- The sprocket e drives a sprocket 52 carriedon `the Shaft of the.

into a seaming head 1I, where the can top and body are double-seamed together.

After the seaming operation the container is picked up by a feed-out dial 12 rotating in a counter-clockwise direction. The dials and seaming head just described are of a form well known in the art and hence are not described in detail here.

The containersare discharged from the feedout dial 12 between a pair of rails 14 and 15 on to the conveyor 45, from which they were previously taken, and are by it carried to any further operating steps in the can line desired.

From theV foregoing description it will be seen that VI have provided an improved means for feeding containers 'from one operating station to another; in the improved mechanism the same conveyor is. employedv to transfer containers to a station and take them away from that station. I have also provided a novel and improved spiral feedingy mechanism Whichvis more simple and `lessexpensivethan those heretofore known and which possess marked feeding advantages.

Other modes of .applying the principle of my invention may be employed'instead of the one explained; change being made as regards the mechanism herein disclosed, provided the means stated .by .any of the following claims or the equivalent of .such stated means be employed. 3()V I therefore particularly point out and `distinctly claim as my invention:

turns the rails to the position of Fig. l as soon as y `this has vtaken place; the inward movement of the rails being limited by-abutting sections 64.

After a container has been engaged by the kspiral convolutions it is fed between the rails 55 and 55 as the spiral rotates until it Vis rehereafter described;

1. In container handling mechanism, a .table to support said containers, a spiral member mounted for rotation about said table and adapted 4to feed containers along said .table on rotation.

"table at fa changing rate of speed dependent -moved at thek fabricating station by a dial 65 l Each of the rails 55 and 56 and thepivoted Y parts 58 and 59 are mounted on respective frames 66 and 61, which may be adjusted transversely of the spiral axis to increase the-Width In this manner Ycon-- tainers of widely varying cross-sectional dimension may be handled by the same apparatus.

Since the conveyor 45 will merely carrythe container in the direction of feed until a pair of convolutions are encountered which `areso spaced that the container may slip therebetween, it does ot` matter whether or not thecontainers are within reasonable limitseven wider in diameterv than corresponds to the width of belt 45. Y

Safety mechanism to preventI the yfeeding of containers or caps if a corresponding container or cap is missed; are provided, but are not here described as they are well known in the art to which this invention pertains;

A containerbody and top assembly station is provided at the end of the spiral and receives the containers as they pass between the rails 55 and This removal is effected by the dial 65 rotatably wise direction (Fig. 1).

4containers and rotates them approximately 90 -mounted at 66 to be driven in 'a counter-clock- This dial picks up the on the spacing of said spiral convolutions.

3. In container handling mechanism, a table l to support a series of containers, a spiral member mounted for rotation about said table and adapted to feed containers along said table by rotationof the convolutions thereof in engagement with said containers, and a traveling feed belt to cooperate with said table in supporting said containers.

4. In container handling mechanism, a table to support a series of containers, a spiral member mounted for rotation about said table and adapt-V ,support a series of containers, a spiral member mounted for rotation about said table and adapted to feed containers along said table by rotation vof the convolutions thereof in engagement with said containers, and a rotating dial at one end of said spiral and adapted to remove containers.- from the path of said spiral member and 'feed them away from said spiral.

6. In container handling mechanism, a table 1 to support a series of containers, a. spiral memadapted to feed containers along said table by rotation of the convolutions thereof in engagement with said containers, and an endless belt traveling in a direction parallel to the direction of feed of said spiral member to cooperate in feeding containers along said table.v

7. In container handling mechanism, a table to support a series of containers, a spiral member mounted for rotation about said table and adapted to feed 'containers along said table by rotation of the convolutions thereof in engagement with said containers, a traveling feed belt to cooperate with said table in supporting said containers and a yieldable guide rail to direct con-.

tainers into the path of said convolutions and yieldable on engagement of said container by said convolutions other than between the convolution coils 8. In container handling mechanism, a table to support a series of containers, a spiral member mounted for rotation about said table and adapt- A ed to feed containers along said table by rotation of the convolutions thereof in engagement with said containers, a traveling feed belt to cooperate with said table in supporting said containers and a rotating dial at one end of said spiral and adapted to remove containers from the path of said spiral member and feed them away from said spiral.

9. In container handling mechanism, a table to support a series of containers, a spiral member mounted for rotation about said table and adapted to feed containers along said table by rotation of the convolutions thereof in engagement with said containers, a traveling feed belt to cooperate with-said table in supporting said containers, a yieldable guide rail to direct containers into the path of said convolutions and yieldable on engagement of said container by said convolutions other than between the convolution coils, and a rotating dial at one end of said spiral and adapted to remove containers from the path of said spiral member and feed them away from said spiral.`

' Y FRANK KRUEGER. 

